Thiruvananthapuram: The rehabilitation plan for traders mooted by the state government has come as a blow to the Horticorp.
A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday with the traders, who faced eviction to facilitate the Thakaraparambu flyover work, decided to use the 45 cents land opposite Big Bazaar for the rehabilitation. This is currently used by Horticorp as its trading centre.
The Horticorp has invested nearly Rs 30 lakh for setting up counters for selling organic vegetables cultivated locally.
Horticorp MD Suresh Kumar said that the agency had been running a vegetable market in the land for the past 15 years.
“We placed a request before the revenue department to get the land for setting up our headquarters, a facility for procuring locally cultivated vegetables and a safe-to-eat organic vegetable market,” said Mr Suresh Kumar.
The Horticorp has spent around Rs 15 lakh for a new air-conditioned counter for selling organic vegetables, which would be inaugurated this week. The Chief Minister had deployed Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson to rehabilitate around 42 traders who were displaced to facilitate the project.
The Chief Secretary had mooted setting up a commercial complex on the revenue land. “This is one of the priority plans under consideration of the government. The other plan is to construct shops over Pazhavangadi canal or provide space inside the proposed Attakulangara bus bay-cum-shopping complex,” sources said.
Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti president Peringamala Ramachandran said that the traders were happy with the decision. “All that matters is the rehabilitation of traders,” said Mr Ramachandran.
